Learning immersed in the spiritual at Wooster Christian

Thursday

Feb 24, 2011 at 4:08 AM

By LINDA HALLStaff WriterWOOSTER -- Principal Gary Rogers is extremely pleased, but also very humbled, by success experienced at Wooster Christian School."We're going to graduate a phenomenal eighth-grade group this year," Rogers said, and "we've got a group of seventh-graders just as mature following behind them."But when asked how Wooster Christian graduates "do very well" when they move on to high school, his answer points to the foundation laid for them at Wooster Christian."First of all, it's what God does here; we seek his guidance and credit him and give thanks for his work here," Rogers said. "The very essence of what we're about here is his work."Encompassing that is "the belief that the very best learning condition for a child is that which is wrapped in love," Rogers said."As God uses his staff to model Jesus, we just believe that the learning environment from staff to student and from student to student is the ultimate," he said, "seeking in everything they do to glorify him -- that's our foundation."Academics are immersed in the spiritual component of a Wooster Christian education."What we're free to do here is grow learners because we're not tied to the tests," he said. "We're free to address the whole child," which includes spiritual development."As we're seeing life and seeking to solve problems and seeking to have meaningful relationships, that's all done from a Biblical perspective, which is a significant difference."There aren't specific programs for bullying or character development, for example, but in correcting a child's behavior, that child is pointed back to Biblical principles."We don't have a single perfect child here," Rogers emphasized, nor does a perfect student graduate from the school's eighth-grade, but students are taught the Biblical admonition, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.""They are immersed" in character development according to God's Word, Rogers said. "He is the one who fixes things. I'm just saying (students are) well-grounded in the knowledge and truth of the Bible, and many of them have it in their hearts and are living it.""We're wanting not to just give lip service to developing learners," he said, but strive to teach them to do everything wholeheartedly, as if it is being done for the Lord."It's our intention they mature into motivation to be a learner God can use," Rogers said.In that way, Rogers hopes they "rise above passing the test. The child who is motivated to be a learner actually does better on the test (and is) more accepting of the challenge."The curriculum is rigorous, including a Biblically based course of study for science and social studies. Rogers called the math program "incredibly strong."There is no dearth of achievement and awards resulting from it at Wooster Christian.In fact, at a recent spelling bee among other Christian schools in Northeast Ohio, Wooster Christian spellers took the top places. Likewise, Wooster Christian students were able to win four out of four grade categories in a Daughters of the American Revolution competition.In a 2008-09 Math Olympics contest, 24 percent of the awards presented were earned by Wooster Christian students, who represented just 10 percent of the total participants.Results were similar in 2006-07 and 2007-08.Art teacher Bethany Lehman reported on awards earned by students in her art classes and Karen Masowich's English classes in the Jerry Tollifson Art Criticism Open, sponsored by the Ohio Art Education Association.They won half of all of the awards given for age categories they entered, Lehman said, by using elements of art and principles of design to critique selected pieces of art.Athletics is also important at Wooster Christian, where the girls' basketball team is undefeated, and the boys' team is doing almost as well. "Again we're talking about the whole child," Rogers said.The school additionally stresses the importance of music. By fourth-grade they are already quite adept at playing the keyboard and reading music, he said."Our challenge is getting (the public) in here to see who we are," Rogers said.Reporter Linda Hall can be reached at 330-264-1125, Ext. 2230, or e-mail lhall@the-daily-record.com.

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